Plastic skirting-boards



Aug. 24, 1965 H, GRN

PLASTIC SKIRTING-BOARDS Filed May 31. 1961 United States Patent O 3,201,909 PLASTIC SKlRTING-BARDS Heinrich Grn, Lindenstrasse 34, Dusseldorf, Germany Filed May 3l, 1961, Ser. No. 113,834 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-28'7) Skirting boards made from plastic substance are known and being introduced in practice to an ever-increasing extent.

The skirting boards hitherto known have, however, very serious imperfections due chiefiy to the manner in which they are secured to the wall.

If the skirting boards are fixed on the wall by nails passing through them, the nails visible from the outer side detract from the appearance. Moreover, the holes in the skirting board caused by driving in the nails become larger in the course of time, thereby affecting the firm hold of the skirting board on the wall. The danger ofthe nails rusting, due to the moisture coming into Contact with y means of a dovetail projection provided on the side of the skirting board facing the wall, is relatively expensive. In the course of time the gypsum rots and crumbles out with the result that the skirting board loses its hold.

Forms of construction of plastic skirting boards are also known in which a metal strip is provided for fixing to the wall. This metal strip is secured in position by means of nails. Such skirting boards are, however, relatively expensive. Moreover the metal strip makes the skirting board conspicuous and detracts from its appearance.

Another objection to the known skirting boards consists in that the moisture creeping downwards in the plaster causes the skirting board to buckle .so that it is forced away from the wall.

According to the invention a fixing member separate from and covered by the skirting board is provided in the wall and the skirting board has on the side facing the wall a projection adapted to resiliently engage this fixing member with a clamping fit. As a result the skirting board can be reliably and firmly fitted in position and is nevertheless removable and exchangeable without using any fixing means passing through the skirting board.

The construction may be such that on the side of the skirting board facing the wall a hollow channel is provided having a slot extending in longitudinal direction along the apex of the channel and preferably formed by flaps or tongues standing out from this side of the board.

yIn the wall holding means are arranged having a head penetrating through the slot into the hollow channel and engaging behind the edges of the side walls of the slot. This practical form of construction allows the skirting board to be made in the conventional manner by pressing. The elasticity of the walls of the hollow channel causes the skirting board to be pressed against the wall when it is being fitted.

The side walls of the `slot are preferably bent over into the hollow channel like tongues which project into the hollow channel. Thus the firm seating of the skirting board on the holding means is increased and the bracing against the wall can be very strong.

Pins or nails with a conical head the base surface of which is directed towards the shank, can be driven into the wall as holding means. It is evident that the nail head can also be bulged in the direction of the axis of the cone or unround, also of angular cross-section.

It is also possible to construct the head of the pin or 3,291,969 Patented Aug. 24.1, 1965 ICC nail like a press-button and to make it, for example, in the shape of two cones the bases of which face each other.

A groove-like recess is preferably provided in the Wall in which the fixing means fixed on the wall are accommodated and which receives the hollow channel formed by the two tongues or iiaps on the skirting board. In this manner the fixing of the skirting board on the wall does not make the skirting board conspicuous or add to the distance which it stands out or projects from the wall.

Another form of construction according to the invention consists in that a projecting longitudinal rib is provided on the side of the skirting board facing the wall and a counter projection or counter rib on the wall, the two projections or ribs being constructed to interengage.

The rib on the rear side of the skirting board may be inclined towards the edge of the skirting board remote from the door and the rib provided on the wall may slope in the opposite direction. In this case the rib on the skirting board will, so-to-speak, snap into the rib on the wall when the skirting board is fitted in position.

The wall rib may be formed by suitably shaping a flat strip, for example of sheet metal, fixed on the wall by means of pins or nails.

It is advisable to provide on the side of the skirting board facing the wall a rib on each side of the fixing rib to support the skirting board against the wall.

It is particularly advantageous to provide a pocket on the bottom edge of the skirting board facing the floor for example for receiving the edge of a oor covering. This ensures a neat close tting and durable joint between the skirting board and the floor and does not allow water to penerate behind the skirting board when the iioor is being washed.

Another possibility is to arrange in this edge pocket an elastic strip bearing under pressure against the floor or the floor covering. It is evidently also possible to fit this at strip in some other Way.

Two embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. l is a perspective view of the first embodiment,

FIG. 2 a modified form of construction of the fixing means employed in the first embodiment, and

FIG. 3 a perspective View of the second embodiment.

1 designates the skirting board made from plastic substance, for example plastic based on polyvinyl chloride, with a certain amount of elasticity. It has a curved crosssection with an edge projecting from the wall and resting on the iioor.

According to PEG. 1 the skirting board has on its side facing the wall two flaps or tongues 2 which together form a hollow channel 3 with a longitudinal slot along its apex or deepest point. The free ends or edges 4 of the flaps or tongues are folded over into the hollow channel into which they project. The wall 17 has a groove-like recess 5. Pins or nails 6 are driven into the wall at the bottom of this recess. These pins or nails have a head 7 in the form of a cone with its base facing the shank. The hollow channel of the skirting board fixing means is slipped over the nails through the intermediary of the slit so that the heads of the nails pass through the slot into the interior of the hollow channel, as can be seen from FIG. l. The hollow channel is then in the recess 5 below the surface of the wall.

The nails may be provided with heads having the shape shown in FIG. 2, that is in the form of two cones with their bases bearing one against the other or having a common base.

The edge of the skirting board adjacent the floor has a pocket S into which the edge of the floor covering 9 is inserted. The pocket comprises a pair of spaced, parallel, flexible arms joined by a bight portion, one of u, the arms being integrally joined at the lower terminal edge of the board. The other arm has a free terminal edge engaging the door. The arms form an acute angle to the plane Iof the board. The arms and vbight form a pocket rfor receiving a terminal edge of a strip'of covering material whereby the. terminal edge of the vboardv is in contactwith the strip and urges the strip'into pressure engagement with the` floor. I,

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3 theskirting board 1 has on theside facingrthewalla rib 10 which slopes towards the edge of the Vskirting board remote from the door. means of pinsor'nailsy12.)The edge ofthe strip remote from the floor is shaped to form a rib V13` sloping in Ytheopposite direction to the rib 10.V Wheny tting the headedpart, said bottom ange comprising a pair of `spacedflevxible arms joined by a bight portion, one of said arms being integrally joined at an edge to a terminal i jedge of said board, said `bight portion being spaced from A sheet metal strip 11 is Xed on the wall by skirting board in position therib 10 snaps into the ribA 13.` Longitudinal ribs 14 are also provided one on Veach side of the rib 10 and bear against the wall or Vtheasheet metal `strip 11 Axed thereon. The edge ofthe skirting boarddirected towards the floor is shaped to yform Ya pocket 15in which an elastic packing `strip'16 ist/in,-

serted, the free `end of which bears against the iioorV or Y the floor covering.Y Y,

I claim: Y l f A skir'tirng board of plastic material having'longitudinal top and bottom flanges projecting fromwthe same Yside of said board4 for bearing againstV a Ywall, surface and a floor surface, saidboardfurther'including a pair of integral spaced walls" Yextending longitudinally:intermediate said top and bottom flanges andv directed generally' perpendicularly-away from said boardfin the same direction ias said iianges said spaced wallshaving Yre'versely curved outer ends providing resiliently deformable longitudinal v Vwall portions facing each other and deiining a slotforVVV receiving fastening elements having a headed part `of a 35 V JACQBv L., NACK'ENOFF,` WILLIAM I,MUSHAKE,

larger size than said slot and for locking'behind said viloor. l .f s Y K lReferences Cited by theiExamner f y UNITEDVSTATESPATENTS 1,423,143 7/224 Pattersonv p 20-,74 X 1,576,527 3/ 26 lMcBride V 20-1-74 X 1,722,660 u -7/29 g Connelly Q 207-74 Y y2,020,062 11/3'5 JaCkSOn L 189-88 X 2,487,571 'i1/49.- Maxweuj" f r r 20-'74 X k2,730,209' Y '1/56 Larsen Q 20+74 X 2,887,739" V5/59 Bensmnr ..v k 20-74 2,894,298 7/,59 VStahl 'A f f 20-74 FOREIGN' PATENTSv 835,967 i 5/60 VGreat Britain.` y V 753,807 8/'56 GreatBritain. v857,025 v12/6() Great Britain. 1,171,718 Q10/58Y France. i

1,248,702 l11/*60 France. f- 615,153 g 6/35 Germany.v Y 575,249 4/,58 italy.`

346,994 l 7760 Sweden. v

1 said board, the other arm having a free terminal edge,

said arms being substantially parallel to eachY otherand at an acute angle to the plane Vof said board, said` arms and bight Y,portion forming a Vpocket for 'receivi'ng the ,terminal` edge of a strip of covering material whereby the terminal edge oiasaid boardl is in contactwith the strip and urges, the strip intor'press'ure engagement with the Examiners. l 

